Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current, August 17, 2018, Page 9, Image 33

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    August 17, 2018
CapitalPress.com
Plant Place serves two markets
By SHERYL HARRIS
For the Capital Press
The Plant Place Nursery
has two locations — one retail
and one wholesale — in the
Olympia-Tumwater area of
Washington state.
Designed for security and
parking rather than visibili-
ty, either location might be
missed by the casual passer-
by. Still, as nursery manager
Jim Espedal says with marked
understatement, “Once in, we
have a lot of return custom-
ers.”
That speaks well of man-
agement of both locations.
For instance, they try to hold
plants ordered for wholesale
projects for just a short time.
Then they re-order as needed.
This is especially true for pe-
rennial and native plants as it
helps maintain plant health.
Like most businesses, the
nursery experiences changes
in products that are popular.
“Right now, dwarf coni-
fers are in vogue — like this
weeping Serbian spruce,”
Espedal says, pointing to a
nearby plant. But popularity
is not all there is to keeping
satisfied customers.
“We keep prices down
by looking for high-quality
growers,” he says.
Espedal holds a bache-
lor’s degree in visual arts and
had no business or nursery
background before he was
hired by owner Kris Knudsen
in 2003. Since then, he has
learned the botanical names
of all the plants, how to buy
and sell, and what the plants
need to stay in good condi-
tion. It is his responsibility
to oversee the health of all
nursery stock, its quality, and
size. It is not a stretch to say
that the health of the busi-
ness is directly related to the
health of the plants.
Retail displays are set in
combinations that inspire cre-
ativity in customers. Espedal
says groupings are set to show
“how the different plants
work together, what effects
they have on each other, how
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Sheryl Harris/For the Capital Press
The Plant Place Nursery Manager Jim Espedal shows the layering
of color, texture and size used in landscaping.
they look as far as layered col-
or, texture, and size.”
He gestured behind him.
“The Japanese cedar grows
25 to 30 feet, is narrow, and
brightens a shady space. The
black is black lace, about 15
feet high with a strong pink
lace cap flower. It’s a good
substitute for Japanese ma-
ple. The rhododendron here
is Wine & Roses with a pink
underside to the leaf and a
cabernet-colored flower.”
A young lady was watering
a section by hand.
“We battle high miner-
al content in the irrigation
water,” Espedal says. “She
waters daily using filtered
water. The difference is that
the foliage and flowers are no
longer stained by the tannins
and rust. It also saves water
as it gets water directly where
it is needed now, rather than
wasting it all over between the
pots and in the paths.”
Espedal explained that
people walk in with pictures
on their phones or just the size
of the area they want to work
with — sometimes with spe-
cific needs. “Because we are
small, we can afford to walk
around with those buyers and
help them choose exactly
what they need. “
What is Espedal’s favorite
plant? “For what?” His an-
swer is more reasonable than
the question.
Again, what is his favor-
ite part of the job? He sighs,
“Both companies are owned
by Puget Sound Landscap-
ing. We do design, building,
hydroseeding, maintenance,
construction, plus caring for
our own plants — all those
and more for both nurseries. It
all works together.”
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